Wilai, her husband Somkiet, and their young son Derie, lived in a dilapidated dwelling made of palm fronds, bamboo and rotting wood. Located on a remote beach in the picturesque Gulf of Thailand, the beauty that surrounds their shack was in stark contrast to the struggle they were facing in their lives.

Somkiet is HIV+, unable to speak or work, and is largely dependent on his wife. Wilai works long hours in rubber and palm plantations to try to meet the needs of her family. When their house began to fall apart and the roof started leaking, the cost to repair the structure was an expense the family was unable to bear.

Operation Blessing (OB) undertook a number of initiatives to help this struggling family:

Bless a Child Program
Wilai and Somkiet’s son, Derie, was accepted into OB’s Bless a Child program which assists children belonging to families affected by HIV. Derie receives school tuition fees, uniforms, stationery supplies, nutritional supplements, milk, medical check-ups and counseling support through the Bless a Child program.

Fishing Net There had been times when the family had no food in the house to eat. Since their backyard was an ocean teeming with fish, Wilai wisely requested a fishing net for her husband to catch fresh fish for the family. OB provided what they asked for and Somkiet has been able to use this new net to help feed his wife and child. Wilai gratefully commented, “One day when we didn’t have any food for dinner I knelt and prayed to God that he would provide us with food. After this, my husband took our new fishing net out into the sea and caught so many fish. We had more than enough to eat so were able to sell some too.”

The lives of Wilai, Somkiet and Derie have been touched and changed through simple acts of kindness, made possible through the generosity of so many OB donors.